There are plenty of e-book readers on the market, but the Diptyx E-Reader feels more like a proper book since it features two e-paper displays that can be folded or opened thanks to a custom-made plastic enclosure.
While it’s powered by an ESP32-S3 wireless module with a PCB antenna, both WiFi and Bluetooth are disabled in the firmware, and instead, users can load EPUB files through the reader’s USB Type-C port. The combination of an automatic standby mode (using deep sleep) and e-ink displays enables the dual-screen device to run for weeks on a single charge. Two buttons are used to access the next or previous page, and a third one powers the device up in a few seconds.
Diptyx E-Reader specifications:
- Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-N16R8
- CPU – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension
- Memory – 8MB PSRAM
- Storage – 16MB SPI flash
- Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh; note disabled in firmware, but since the firmware is open-source, it can always be enabled if needed
- PCB antenna
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-N16R8
- Storage – 2 GB microSD card (user-replaceable)
- Displays – 2x 5.83-inch 648×480 e-ink black & white displays
- USB – USB Type-C port for charging and mass storage
- Misc – Buttons for navigation and power on/off
- Batteries – 2x 1,500 mAh Li-Po batteries
- Dimensions
- Closed: 120 x 150 x 14 mm
- Opened: 226 x 150 x 14 mm (height of the middle section, each panel should be about 7mm high)
- Weight – 300 grams
The Diptyx E-Readerwill be made fully open-source after the crowdfunding campaign is over for easy customization and repairs. This will include the enclosure designed in FreeCAD, the KiCad schematics and PCB layout, and the ESP32-S3 firmware developed with VS Code. The firmware is basically an e-book reader implementation reading EPUB files from the 2 GB microSD card, and also acts as a mass storage device to transfer books from your computer to the device over USB-C.
Diptyx provides a comparison table between their e-reader and two commercial products: Kobo Clara BW and Kindle Paperwhite 11th gen. Those models have extra features like support for additiona Ebook formats, a touchscreen, and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, but the Diptyx E-Reader is unique with its dual screen, open-source hardware design, a larger battery, and wireless was disabled on purpose.
The downside of having two displays and a larger battery is that it is also more expensive, and Diptyx asks for a $230 pledge on Crowd Supply. But the unique design already attracted 32 backers in a few hours, and they should reach the $27,000 funding goal once the crowdfunding campaign ends. Shipping is free to the US, but adds $12 to the rest of the world. Deliveries are scheduled to start by May 2026. You’ll also find more photos and details on the project’s website.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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I wonder if it will be responsive enough with that type of CPU, and also, what kind of book size the memory capacity will hold ? There are many books that contain images, so how will this device handle those ?
yeah, I’m worried about comics readability
In my opinion, having two screens with the same function isn’t really necessary for a reader.
If one of the screens were an e-paper display with note-taking capability, I think it would make much more sense and add real value.
Why are you posting your video on piece of shit privacy violating youtube? I’m not signing in to watch a video. fuck off
neat idea, not sure how well they can pull it off. the commercial e-reader I use uses a Rockchip (they don’t advertise it, but I poked around). runs at about 1fps in Wikipedia browsing. runs a hacked-up version of Android (with woefully outdated browser), so you can side-load apps, which I think’s the killer feature since I no longer have to care about what format my books are in (I think it still can’t read .lit or one of the other tough cookies; I forget which). my primary complaints with it are it’s too heavy, too large, and not very ergonomic, which this device doesn’t appear to address by looking at it. running an ESP32, I’d actually expect them to significantly cut down on the battery size since the one I have runs (with WiFi) for weeks with an hour or so’s daily use.
this is still tempting, though, since we can conceivably work on it with developer/company to bake functionality into the device itself, but then I’m paying >$200 for another project, and I have enough! I think they’ll have good luck with these at trade shows and the like where they can show this off “physically.”